Chicago’s stately Symphony Hall was the site of the Green Party’s national nominating convention where former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was chosen as their Presidential candidate for this November’s election.

“I am asking you to vote your conscience,vote your dreams, vote your future, vote Green,” McKinney told an enthusiastic crowd of over 400 delegates and observers from across the country.She was joined on-stage by her parents Billy McKinney, her mother Leola , son Coy and dozens of other Green Party candidates from across the country seeking public office and re-election.

McKinney, who reminded the crowd that she and her father were the first father-daughter team in any state legislature, served 12 years in Congress as a Democrat.Her term in Congress is notable for her consistent votes for environmental protections, voters’ rights and challenges to the Bush administration on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the events surrounding the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. She joined the Green Party after her loss to Republican Bob Barr in 2006.

The Green Party also overwhelmingly accepted hip-hop journalist and activist Rosa Clemente as Ms. McKinney’s running mate.A graduate of Auburn and Cornell Universities, Ms. Clemente cited the urgency in addressing issues of social justice and environmental degradation, telling supporters, “the Green Party is not an alternative party, the Green Party is the imperative party.”

“McKinney is a very politically experienced and intelligent woman and a great choice,” said Robin Beck, one of the local delegates present at the convention. “ Combined with the youth and energy of Clemente, the Green Party is ready to lead the US into a new era of equality and sustainability.”

Changes to the Green Party platform were also debated and voted on at the convention in Chicago;passionate opposition to wording on guest worker programs by a strong Latino/Latina caucus sent the draft back for further review.

Cynthia McKinney’s name will appear on the ballot on the Green Party line in nearly 40 states however Hoosier voters will be required to write her name in on the ballot on November 4th.This is an area of concern for local Greens as St Joe County’s record for counting and certifying write-in votes has been challenged in the last two elections.“St Joe County actually certified zero votes for our candidate for Secretary of State 2 years ago, thus disenfranchising the hundreds of voters who cast write-in votes the Green Party candidate,” noted Karl Hardy, co-coordinator of the local Greens chapter.“This trampling of the rights of voters cannot continue and we will be doing what we can to ensure progressive voices are counted at the ballot box.”